Children of Cain
by LovelyDragons
Summary: Follow a young girl growing up in the streets of Rome while she struggles trying to find her place in a corrupted city and a country that hardly can be called a country at all.
1. Prologue

In the beginning there were only tears. The girl thought that she would drown the streets of Rome with her tears. Tears and darkness. Her heart felt heavy with the loneliness that had just be known to her. She didn't know where to go. Where to hide. With her arms folded across her face she just sat there in a corner of some forgotten alleyway. Rome had never been as scary before. As unloving.

And yet from out of the darkness there was a hand. A hand missing one finger and two fingertips. A hand upon which scars seemed to make a delicate lace pattern. A hand sounding frightening to most people, but it was a saviour for her. And with the hand came a kind voice. Calling out to her. Trying to comfort her. Stopping her tears.

She took the hand and followed the stranger. In the darkness she could not see his face, but that did not matter. She knew, just knew without any explanation, that she would be safe now. The streets of Rome weren't smothered with her tears anymore. She had found protection. Safety.

Her deformed angel asked her many questions. Where did she live? _At mommy's._ Where was mommy? _Don't know._ Isn't mommy worried about you? _Mommy didn't wake up today._ After that the questions stopped and she just had to follow him. She didn't know where she was going, for she had never been out on the streets. Her life had been lived between the walls of the place she used to call home. Waking up, staring outside the window, seeing mommy leave for work to the room next door, hearing her moan and swear. Everyday was the same and everything was a blur. So she just knew she had to hold this strangers hand tight. For the moment she would let go, she would drown in the streets of Rome.

He led her to a big house. And in the candlelit entry of the home, she saw his face for the first time. She realized that her angel was around a decade older than herself. But yet he had to suffer far worse than she had. His face that probably once had been intensely handsome was now covered in thick scars like those on his hand. And yet she was not scared for he had saved her from drowning.

She doesn't remember much from that night. She knew he led her to a room and gave her bed. She noticed some stares from different angels. Ugly angels, wounded angels, scary angels all such as her saviour. Instinctively she knew she had to pretend to have fallen asleep so she could listen to the conversation her saviour was going to have. A conversation about her.

"I found her on the streets. Her loud crying was annoying the hell out of me." "And what are you planning to do with her? We can't use a toddler walking around. Were you even thinking, Soh? Of course you weren't." "I think her mother was one of the lovely ladies. And wasn't our favourite lovely lady murdered this morning? By your hands Abel?" "Christ. Soh. She wanted money from me and things got nasty. Don't try to make that toddler my responsibility." "She won't be. She will be mine and mine alone." "I hate that look in your eyes and where are you going to raise her? It can't be here." "Momma." "Christ. Soh. You are more deranged than I thought. Momma? You think Momma will take her in?" "For me she will. And it's a girl. Things should be fine." "Christ. Soh. One day you will bring ruin to us all."

She can't remember whether she was pretending or had really fallen asleep when her angels came back to her and picked her up. Gentling holding her in his arms she felt safe once more. The first things that come to mind are words once more. A 'please take care of her'. And a 'Momma you owe me one'. But reality and dreams are mixed within her mind when she is thinking about that one night. That one night that was the beginning of it all.

Maybe that one night she didn't cry because she had lost her mother or because she couldn't find a shelter in the streets of Rome. Maybe she had started crying because somewhere deep down she had known of all the bloodshed and pain that was waiting in the future for her. Maybe her small body had felt the suffering that was coming her way. Maybe that was why the streets of Rome were drowning that single night.

But even up to this day. Between all the clouded memories and lost tears there are some words that still wake up her in the middle of the night. Words she can't escape from no matter how hard she tries. The last words the angel had spoken to her that night. "Don't forget I saved you life today. So you owe me now. Don't you ever forget that. You owe me a debt." And she never did. Never could.


	2. befriend the dark

"Try to keep up." Her hazel eyes were focused upon the dark clothed figure before who had just snarled at her a mere seconds ago. Rome was touched by the night sky, coloring everything a sinister blue. For a visitor the streets would look dangerous now, filled with shady figures and blackened corners. But she was no visitor. She knew every street, every stone. She knew which path led to which place and which roofs connected to which houses. It had been two summers since was rescued from that dark night and the city did not scare her anymore. After all there was no time to be scared and moreover: she was one of the people to be afraid now. All because of -.

"Vola!" The figure before her abruptly stopped. Before she had the time to react, he had turned around a grasped her hand. For a short moment she could stare at his. That hand missing one finger and two fingertips. His disfigured skin laced with scars. "Vola," saying her name softer this time she looked up to his just as scared face. Two piercing blue eyes stared back at her. "When I say that you need to keep up, you need to keep up." For a few moments the two figures just stared at each other as the tension echoed between them. Oh, how did she hate him with a passion.

"I know where we going."

Her response caused him to let go of her hand. A soft amusement flickered through his light eyes. For a heartbeat a grin toyed around the corner of his lips. "Yes, my little birdie is so smart. She thinks to know exactly where we are going." As he brought his face closer to hers, she resisted to urge to look away. Her bruises were a distinctive proof of her master's hatred for fear. "But little birdies can not forget which birds rule the sky. Little birdies can not forget to fear the hawks. So you will listen instead of talk." His other hand, just as scared, caressed her cheek. "Do you understand?" She nodded. Yes, she understood.

Two continued their path through moonlit Rome. Ever since the scared angel had rescued her, this had been her life. Following his footstep everywhere he went. Heeding to his every order. It had not taken her long to realize what her angel was. A thief, a conman, doing everything he could to survive. He was called Soh, but his identity was a mystery. The stories she heard of him, never seemed to match. Either he was the bastard son of a nobleman or raised in a monastery. Some said he was a demon, attracted to all the filth in Rome. But there was no proof for any of these rumors expect for the fear he spread around him. Soh. Son of Heaven. That was what they called him. And she was his bird, his little thief and henchman.

Working for Soh had made her tough and quick-witted even though she was just eight summers old. The forgotten streets of Rome tended to do that to a young soul. She felt no remorse whenever she stole from both poor and rich. It was either their wealth or her health. And she had lived through too much already to risk her own wellbeing. And she knew she would feel no remorse for whatever people she was robbing tonight. Especially not because the duo was walking straight to the wealthy part of town. The extremely wealthy part of time.

Soh abruptly stopped next to a palazzo, turning around to face her. "Do you know who lives here?" She shook her head. She did not know and honestly she did not care to know. "A new family just moved in here. And they came from far, far away. All the way from Spain in fact. And you know what it means that they came from so far, far away?" His hand was against her cheek again. He did that a lot. Gave him the feeling of having power of her. Which he had. Without a doubt.

"That they will have plenty of riches?" A pinch in her cheek was the answer she got for her words. "Good girl. And we know what I think about riches. They are better spent than kept. And I am not the best spender in town?" It was hard to not look at her savior with disgust. His greed was so inherent to his whole character she wondered if he had ever cared for anyone besides himself. Releasing his hand from her skin he pointed to a small, round window in the wall of the palazzo. "You know what to do. Do not come back unless you have some gold. I will keep watch." As he picked her up to help her climb through the window she resisted a sigh. Here she went again.

On the other side of the wall she was greeted by a big, green garden. More beautiful than she had seen so far. Softly she jumped on the grass to immediately look around for a way into the palazzo. With her experience of sneaking around and hiding herself she found easily way in and before she could even think about she was wandering through the halls of the palazzo. Where to go? Where to go? Soh wanted gold, but she could not just take everything. It could not be too big for she could not carry it. Nor could it be too distinctive for that was dangerous as it could be traced back to them. Both of these lessons she had learned through the harsh teachings of her master. After searching around a couple of rooms, she suddenly heard crying coming from the room next to her. She listened carefully. It sounded like a child. A scared, young child. For a moment she wondered what to do. If she went in, she risked the change of getting caught. But something inside her urged to see who was crying. Had she not been a crying child once?

Before she could think it through her hands had pushed upon the door where the crying came from. Shortly after the crying stopped and a trembling voice met her through the dark. "W-w-who is there? Juan, is that you?" Her first thought was to run away, but she found herself frozen in the doorway. Her eyes, used to the dark, saw a grand room before her. The room had a couple of closets, rugs and a gigantic bed. A bed in which a small boy was sitting, staring directly at her.

"You are not Juan."

"No, I am not." Her voice was soft like his. Unsure about what she was doing. "Can I come in?" A silence fell upon the room as both kids were afraid for the other. Eventually the boy in the bed spoke again. "Who are you? A daughter of one of our maidens?" "No." "Then who are you?" Vola slowly stepped into the room, towards the boy. "Why were you crying?" The concern in her voice was sincere. The boy lived in such a beautiful home. What could he be sad for? The boy would not answer first, but curious as the young girl was she stepped closer to him. Close enough to step next to the bed and clearly see his face. He looked like a doll. A perfect round face with dark eyes and even darker hair. He was more fair than the boys she had ever seen. Even with his eyes still puffy from crying and the tears laying upon his cheeks.

"It is my first night sleeping without a lit candle. My father said that I am now the age of conquering my fear of the dark. He said God would protect me and keep me safe. But the shadows are threating and shaped like demons." His voice still trembled as he finally answered her question.

The girl could not help but to softly laugh. "You are afraid of the dark?" The mere thought was absurd to her. The darkness was her friend. Within the dark she could hide everywhere. The darkness was an alley of hers, how could anyone ever fear it? But the young boy nodded, dead serious about his fear. "Do you not?" Vola just shoke her head as she sat next to him on the bed. "The darkness is my friend. When you accept her, you can use her to your advantage." The boy forgot about his tears as he stared to strange girl beside her. "What is your name?" he asked her.

"Volatile."

Now it was his time to laugh. "What a strange name." She shrugged her shoulders. "I am not the one who chose it and most people just call me Vola instead." A bit embarrassed she stared at her hands. Maybe her name was really strange. Maybe that is why nobody called her by her full name. "I am Cesare." The words of the boy brought her attention back to him. "Nice to meet you." Her voice was soft, unsure what she was actually doing here.

"What are you doing inside my house, Vola?" The sudden sharpness of his question startled her, causing her to look down again. She wanted to lie, but her imagination failed her. And moreover within the few moments they had spoken to each other, it felt like she had made a friend. It would not be right to lie to a friend, would it?

"I am looking for gold." She could feel her hands shaking as she spoke. Now this would be surely the end of her new found friendship. Even though she felt no compassion for the people she robbed, she knew that stealing was wrong and unacceptable. Especially for a boy from a wealthy family like he was. Therefor she was not prepared for his reaction at all.

"I can give you some gold if you teach how to befriend the dark."

She looked at him with big eyes not sure if she could trust her own ears. But this young boy which had to be around to same age as she was, was looking at her with a certain determination. The fear he had shown when she had entered the room was replaced with a reckless bravery. And just now she truly wondered who was this boy which carried the name Cesare? Little did she know that night that she would find out more than she would ever wanted to.


End file.
